Currently, a wide range of communications platforms and messaging options provide an increasing number of ways to stay in touch. Communications platforms run the gamut from conventional desktop personal computers to Web browser-enabled third generation (“3G”) mobile telephones, which offer an equally broad range of messaging options, including email, instant messaging, text messaging, Web logs (Blogs), and digital voice, to name a few. New communications platforms and messaging options continue to evolve.
In particular, wireless devices have redefined interpersonal communications by providing a new plateau of availability and immediacy for message exchange. Mobile telephones, for instance, are widely used in place of conventional wired telephones. Additionally, in addition to providing basic voice communications, the capabilities of mobile telephones, as well as other types of wireless devices, have expanded to textual, visual, and other forms of digital data.
Nonetheless, wireless devices are only effective when service is available to subscribers. Physical limits can constrain coverage area, including range and signal strength. As well, practical limits, such as having a valid subscriber account, personal security needs, and social norms, can further restrict availability, such as in a movie theater where mobile telephone usage is strongly discouraged. Moreover, even where service is available, wireless devices fail if the subscriber does not answer.
Unanswered communications present a dilemma if immediate acknowledgement of the receipt of a message is needed. A caller must decide between trying to contact the recipient by another means of communication and risk further unanswered calls, or trying again at a later time. Thus, knowing message delivery status can be helpful, for instance, when the message is sent via an alternate means due to a failure or extended delay of the primary message delivery means to avoid further time wasted on re-attempts at delivery.
In addition to tracking message delivery, a single thread of “conversation” could conceivably take on different forms of messaging, such as voice, text, and email. While the conversation thread reflects a single communicative exchange, the divergence of messaging options can lead to a lack of synchrony. For example, a voice message sent in reply to a text message may be lost or not properly noted, leading to lost contacts or duplicative replies. Conventional approaches to providing multiple messaging means fail to satisfactorily queue, track, and synchronize message delivery.
For instance, U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,430,604 and 6,654,790 teach an Instant Messaging System (IMS) that allows users to register one or more alternative message delivery mechanisms, such as pagers, cellular telephones, and email. The alternative message delivery mechanisms can include constraints. If a user is not currently logged on to the system, the IMS can deliver a message using a suitable alternative, provided all constraints are satisfied. The IMS also allows a sender to determine a message recipient's availability. However, undelivered messages are not enqueued and the sender is only notified if the message cannot be delivered through the IMS or one of the alternative mechanisms.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,912,564 teaches a communications system that includes an instant messaging network (IMN) and an email gateway that are interconnected via a configuring network. The IMN can determine a user's availability. The configuring network is dedicated to automatically configuring instant messaging communication between email senders and recipients. The configuring network can send redirection commands to a recipient based on the capability of a sender to receive an instant message or the capability of another recipient of the email to receive an instant message.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,993,555 teaches interactively responding to queries from instant messaging users. Each query is processed and an answer is generated, which is formatted and returned to the user as an instant message, or via another route specified by the user. Instant messaging query responses originate with a query response system, rather than from a user to another user.
Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 6,549,937 teaches a user interface coupled to a conversion platform via an API, which allows multi-protocol messaging communication. The conversion platform translates messages and commands from a standard protocol into individual service provider messaging formats and protocols. Delivered messages are neither threaded nor updated.
Therefore, there is a need for providing a versatile communications platform with multiple message type support and transparent interoperability. Preferably, such a platform would provide generic message composition translatable into one of several available messaging formats, and the platform will monitor and automatically deliver the message in those messaging types that the recipient accepts.